HYDERABAD, JAN 6 : BRS Working President and former Minister K T Rama Rao (KTR) appeared at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) office on Monday in connection with the Formula-E car race case.

KTR arrived at the ACB office accompanied by his legal team. However, he was denied permission to have his lawyers present during the questioning.

In response, KTR returned to Telangana Bhavan after submitting a set of documents containing his written responses to the investigation officer.

Speaking to the media, KTR stated, “I came to the ACB office as a law-abiding citizen. However, this government is violating constitutional rights. Is the Constitution of India governing Telangana or Revanth Reddy’s Constitution?”

KTR expressed concerns about the government’s intentions, alleging a conspiracy to plant illegal items during potential raids on his residence. He accused the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, of using diversionary tactics to shift attention away from unfulfilled promises, including the cancellation of farmer assurance schemes.

He further remarked, “The Congress government is resorting to attention-diversion strategies to escape accountability for its failure to implement its 420 promises. Despite such attempts, our struggle against this government’s anti-people policies will not waver.”

In anticipation of KTR’s visit to the ACB office, tight security arrangements were made.

On the legal front, KTR has filed a petition in the High Court seeking to quash the FIR registered against him by the ACB. The High Court has reserved its verdict, directing that KTR should not be arrested until the decision is announced, though the investigation can continue.

The ACB issued notices summoning KTR for questioning on Monday at 1000 hours.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also summoned KTR for questioning on January 7 regarding the same case. Co-accused BLN Reddy and Aravind Kumar, who were summoned by the ED earlier this month, have been granted an extension of one week to appear.

The FIR, filed by the ACB based on a complaint from the Telangana government, alleges that KTR authorised payments totalling Rs 45 crore to the Formula-E Organisers (FOE), a foreign company, without obtaining Cabinet approval. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) reportedly made the payments in two installments, violating RBI guidelines. This led to an Rs 8 crore penalty imposed by the RBI, which was subsequently paid by the Congress government after assuming office in December 2023.

KTR, son of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, served as the municipal administration minister during the BRS regime and played a key role in organising Hyderabad’s first Formula-E race last year. However, the Congress government cancelled the race scheduled for February this year after coming to power.